Engine-starter.



PATBNTED NOV. 20, 1906.

- e. B'RANDHUBER.

ENGINE STARTER.

w mm 7 N n J JV By ATTORNEYS No. 836,559. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

G. F. BRANDHUBER.

ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1905.

2 sums-slum 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOH hm l rn a Afro/m5 YS "able the starting-gear to UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. BRANDHUBER, OF'PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOVJZO, 1906.

Application filed June 29,1905. Serial No. 267,519,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BRAND- HUBER, a cltlzen of the United States, and a resident of Pierre, in the county of Hughes avoid the necessity of the automobile-driver alighti'ng from the machine each time that the engine is to be started. I attain this end by providing a peculiar screw connected with the crank-shaft of the engine through the medium of a clutch. With this screw a peculiar non-rotary nut coacts, and the nutis actuated by a lever which in case the invention is applied to an automobile-engine extends up throu h the platform of the machine. By swin ing the lever the nut may be advanced a ong the screw and the screwcaused to rotate. I 1

tion.

,Theinvention resides in certain peculiar features of construction and combination of parts, all ofwhich will be fully set forth heremafter and pointed out in the claims. 7 Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate as an'example the preferred.. embodiment of my invention, in which drawings like characters of. reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the inven- Fig. 2 is. a section taken through the nut. Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of an automobile and illustrating my improved starter as applied to the engine; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, illustrating one form of clutch mechanism which may be employed. V

indicates one of the bearings of the crank-shaft 11 of the engine;

12 indicates the fly-wheel, and 14 a clutch member fastened thereto.

15 indicates a clutch member coacting with the clutch member 14. The clutch member 15 is fastened to a screw 16 anclthe in the direction that the engine turns when running ahead will cause this movement to be imparted to the crank shaft, 11, and when the engine takes up its normal operation the clutch will permit the crank-shaft to turn freely without imparting any movement to the screw. Any such form of clutch may be ernployed as, for instance, that shown in Fig. 5. The screw 16 is preferably formed with a plurality of threads, and these threads decrease in pitch from the outer end of the screw to the inner end or that end whichis adjacent to the fly-wheel. The purpose of this arrangement is to enable the nut upon "the beginning of its movement to exert a relatively great leverage on the screw, and as'this movement of the nut continues to permits the starting operation to begin slowly and withcorresponding power and to of the screw ismounted in a suitable bearing or support 17, and at its outer end directly adjacent to the'bearing the screw is formed with an annular groove 18, which permits the screw to turn independently of the nut this point.

starting operation the nut will be thrown back to the outer end of the screw, and at the nut or even strain thereon will cease, and the screw will be permitted to turn independently of the nut in either direction.

The nut comprises a collar 19, having pins 20 projecting from opposite sides and engaged This lever incloses the collar, as shown in Fig. l ,and is suitablyfulcrumed, so that by swinging the lever the nut may be moved along the screw. According to the present embodiment of the invention the screw has three three balls 23, coacting, respectively, with these threads. The halls are permitted free parts. The collar 19 is formed with three radially-extending internally-threaded openings'25, the inner ends of which are adapted to carry the balls 23, and the parts being so arranged. that theballs will lie equidistant around the circumference of the screw, as Fig. 2; illustrates. The passages contain screws 1 26 the inner ends of which are cupped to reend with a rapid movement. The outer endwhen'the nut is engaged with the screw at- The result of this arrangement is that should the engine kick back or accidentally reverse its movement during the threads thereon, and the nut is provided with turn the screw with greater speed. This reaching the groove 18 further movement of I in slots 21, formed 1n a bifurcated lever 22. i

movement in the collar, so as to reduce as much as possible the friction between the moving a connection between the screw and desire to secure by Letters 30 ceive the balls, and 27 indicates lock-nuts which work on the screws 26 and are let into counter cavities 28, formed in the collar 19.:

By means of the screws 26 adjusting movement may beimparted to the balls 23, thus regulatin the fit between the nut and screw and enab ing wear to be taken up whenever necessary. The passages 25 also facilitate the assemblage'of the parts.

In the operationof the invention the lever 22 should be manipulated so as to advance the nut from the outer to the inner end of the screw. Since the nut is non-rotary, this movement of the nut imparts to the screw a rotation gradually increasing in speed. This rotary movement of the screw is transmitted to the shaft 11 through the clutch above described, and in this manner the engine is started. After the engine is started the nut may be left engaged with the screw, 01', if desired, the lever may be thrown to move the nut so that the balls 23 thereof engage the roove 18 in the screw. Should the en ine flick back, thenut will be moved outwar on the screw, and upon reaching the groove 18 this movement will cease, as claimed above. Having thus describedthe preferred form of my invention, what I claim as new, and

Patent, is- 1. The combination of an engine, a screw, a connection between the screwand engineshaft, a non-rotary nut operating on the screw, and means for moving the'nut, for thepurpose specified, said screw having a gradually-decreasin pitch.

2. The com ination of an engine, a screw,

engineshaft, a non-rotary nut operating on .the

screw, and means for moving the nut, for the purpose specified, said screw having a itch gradually-decreasing toward the end- 0 the screw in connection with the engine.-

ally decreasing name to this specification in the 3. The combination with an engine, of a screw, a clutch connecting the screw with the engine, a non-rotary nut operating on the screw, and means for moving the nut along the screw, for the purpose specified, said screw having a decreasing pitch.

4. Thecombination with an engine, of a screw, a clutch connecting the screw with the engine, a non-rotary nut operating on the screw, and means for moving the nut along the screw, for the purpose specified, said screw having a pitch gradually decreasing toward the end in connection with the engine.

5. In combination with an engine having a crank-shaft, a screw in alinement therewith, coacting' clutch members on said shaft and said screw, a non-rotary nut on said screw, and means connected to said nut for moving it toward and from the engine, the pitch of said screw being graduall decreased toward the end in connection wit the engine whereby the speed of rotation of the engine crankshaft is gradually increased as the nut is moved along the screw at a constant speed.

6. In combination, a screw having a gradupitch, a non-rotary nut engaging said screw, a clutch member secured to the end of said screw, a pivoted lever connected to said nut, an engine having a crank shaft, and means for connecting said clutch to said crank-shaft whereby the speed of rotationof the crank-shaft is gradually increased as the lever is moved along the screw at a constant rate of speed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE F. BRANDHUBER.

Witnesses:

JAMES LEwIs,

E. J. SCHULTZ.

presence of 

